TUDJMAN ADDRESSES HDZ CENTRAL COMMITTEE SESSION (II)

ZAGREB, Feb 24 (Hina) - Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) president Franjo Tudjman on Saturday addressed an HDZ Central Committee meeting on the role of the HDZ and the functioning of the multiparty system during the Homeland War and in the creation of the Croatian state, which was the second item on the agenda of the two-day session. "We have fulfilled our promises and today we have a sovereign Croatian state and developed democracy," Tudjman said, adding that no democratic party in Europe or the world had achieved such election results as had the HDZ. But regardless of that, the HDZ was exposed to orchestrated attacks from within the country and from abroad, he said, adding that attacks on his party were aimed at overthrowing the democratically elected government. "But they will not succeed, because together with the majority of the Croatian people, we knew and will know what to do," Tudjman said, adding that all parties, from the far right to the far left, as well as strike organizers, were involved in the orchestrated campaing against the HDZ. Tudjman called on workers not to be a tool in the fight against Croatian freedom and democracy and an instrument of those who wanted to topple the democratically elected government. In a message to the striking rail workers, Tudjman said that there were many old communists and unionists in their ranks who wanted to bring down the democratic government. Their demand for a 100 percent pay increase proved that the strikers were actually against negotiations and that they wanted to cause a crisis, he added. Tudjman said that among the Croatian people there was still between 15 and 20 percent of those who favoured, because of their idealogical reasons or because they were encouraged by some international circles, the restoration of Yugoslavia or wanted to push Croatia into some sort of association, such as "Euroslavia". "On the other hand, some are envious because they were not able to achieve what the HDZ did, so that they make contacts with and seek assistance from international circles which are not inclined to Croatia," he added. Commenting on the political crisis in Zagreb, Tudjman stressed that his party had won a majority in last year's elections, citing that it had gained almost twice as many votes as the second-placed party. He said that "they (the alliance of seven opposition parties) do not want to cooperate with the HDZ, but we are politically mature and we'll know how to explain to the Croatian people why the HDZ is being attacked by both the right-wing and left-wing parties." But Tudjman said that the HDZ did not condemn all left-wing parties. "Since the foundation of the HDZ, I have advocated that Croatia has to be built on all the components of its historical heritage, accepting the positive and rejecting the negative. (...) If it had not been for the anti-fascist Croatia there would neither have been the present-day Croatia. And neither was the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) (from 1941 to 1945) only a quisling entity," he said. Speaking of attempts to destabilize the HDZ and the Croatian state, Tudjman cited the Democratic Croatian General Assembly (DEHOS), an organization established in Austria and Germany. "DEHOS is an attempt at harmonizing opposition policies in Croatia with certain tendencies in European and international policies," he said, adding that it also brought together some respectable intellectuals and university professors in attempts to create an alleged democratic alternative to the present authorities in Croatia, which they regard as "fascist and bolshevik." Tudjman said that the DEHOS program was aimed at overthrowing the HDZ, organizing the state on the basis of regions and preventing the President of the Republic from acting in the interests of his party. "We, as the party, but also as the Croatian state, must be aware what this is all about," he said, expressing confidence that there were enough reasonable people in opposition parties who would "jump off a train that would lead the independent Croatia into some Yugoslav or Balkan (associations)." "I'm confident that we will be wise, strong and resolute enough to ensure the future of the free and independent Croatian state," Tudjman concluded. (hina) vm jn 242044 MET feb 96